Showing results by author "C.j" in All Categories

Tacitus, who condemns the depravity of these rulers, which he saw as proof of the corrupting force of absolute power, writes caustically of the brutal and lecherous Tiberius, the weak and cuckolded Claudius, and "the artist" Nero. In particular, his account of the bloody reigns of Tiberius and Nero brims with plots, murder, poisoning, suicide, uprisings, death, and destruction. The Annals also provides a vivid account of the violent suppression of the revolt led by Boudicca in Britain, the great fire of Rome under Nero, and the subsequent bloody persecution of the Christians.

How much religion among many members of churches consists of nothing but church rituals! They belong to their church. They are baptized, married, buried in at the church, and preached to on Sundays by her ministers, but the great doctrines of truth have no place in their hearts and only a little influence on their lives. Is the religion of these people real Christianity? No, it is Churchianity – and nothing more!

When the Northern Pacific had ceased operations at the start of the Panic of 73, Cap had been stranded with his survey crew in the middle of Montana Territory. Since then, he’d lived a hard, solitary life. Recently he’s spent a few months as a gambler in the untamed town of Deadwood in Dakota Territory. But neither was what he wanted out of life. When he heard that the Northern Pacific had come out of bankruptcy and would soon start laying track west out of Bismarck, he left Deadwood in the hope of returning to his old life. Just a day’s ride from Bismarck, he discovered a disaster.

Galleries of Stone introduces a world where magical mountains are entrusted to master sculptors like Freydolf. Necessity drives this recluse from the Statuary to find a new servant. The villagers thereabouts fear him, but when people are poor, and homes are crowded, all it takes is a handful of coins to loosen family ties. Tupper Meadowsweet isn’t the cleverest child, but he’s brave enough to follow Freydolf onto the gray mountain, where the Statuary’s living masterpieces hint at faraway lands, diverse races, unique customs, long histories, and danger.

Join the adventure through dystopian worlds, to outer planets and into a speculative future. Welcome to the Future Days Anthology. Seventeen authors imagine a future with thrilling tales, starships, unlikely heroes, and exotic aliens, all of which combine to make Future Days a must-listen sci-fi fantasy short story collection.

When Patrol Officer Kelly Shannon answers a suspected DUI call that results in the suspect's death, she has to deliver the grim news to his young family, including his brother - her friend and crush, Mick. Kelly convinces herself that she's only making amends when Mick begs for help looking out for his niece and nephew as his sister-in-law grieves and neglects her young children. But as Christmas approaches, Kelly admits the truth. She's falling in love.

Everything I knew was a lie. Everyone I loved betrayed me. Everywhere I go someone wants me dead. I’m no stranger to being alone. Even in my darkest hour, I knew I could count only on myself. Now, I have nothing and for the first time in my life I have to let someone else save me.

I’ve spent years trying to be someone I’m not. Controlled and humanized. Still, the darkness lurks inside me, waiting for a chance to break free. As the headmaster at Corium University, I must maintain professionalism and keep myself in check. I manage to do that until the day I discover I have a daughter and all the carefully constructed walls I’ve built around myself start to crumble.I know I need an outlet, a way to shut it off, and then she lands in my lap. Delilah. I want to punish her, humiliate her, and hurt her in the best ways.

Never let it be said that Kit Colbana had ever been given the easy road. Or even the semi-paved road. Only weeks after dealing with the mysterious—and murderous—being called Puck, she’s got another killer on her hands. Perhaps even two. Some of the bodies turning up bring up haunting memories of a past she longs to forget, but as always, that past is chasing her at her heels, like a hated shadow.

Morgaine must meet her greatest challenge - Gault, who is both human and alien, and also seeks control of the world and its Gate. She will meet the true Gatemaster - a mysterious lord with power as great, or greater, than her own.

My name is Sawyer William Vincent - I know, it sounds like three first names - but most people know me as the Red Raptor. Well, technically no one knows I'm the Red Raptor, he's just a bit more popular. Wow. Enough about my name. Let me start over. I’m a superhero - the legendary Black Harrier’s partner. Not sidekick. I don't care if I'm still in high school. We work together to bring down the city's most dangerous villains. When the Black Harrier gets a mysterious note, then goes missing in New York City, things are pretty much left up to me. But don’t worry...I’ve got this.

Awakened. Enlightened. The Harvest fast approaches. Ryl and his companions hasten for the annual ceremony, determined to set in motion an event certain to rock Damaris to its core. Only days remain with many miles to navigate. Armed with new knowledge and plagued by lingering doubts, the path forward has proven more complicated than anticipated. The reality and the truth are far more convoluted. The road through the kingdom is long and wrought with danger and uncertainty.

As one of the foremost performers in the kingdom of Rescalin, Liv Equitor has come a long way from the gutters of Pastira. She’s fought tooth and nail for her reputation and its protection: she’s determined that nothing and no one will take her choices from her again. But despite all her careful staging, she can’t get her handsy troupe leader to give up the sense he’s entitled to her. With their caravan headed to the capital of Pastira to compete for the coveted status of Royal Theatrical Troupe, Liv devises a new plan to match her ambitions.

The constellation of Hydri, also called the Serpent, became an undesirable destination during the era of humanity's most prolific interstellar colonization. For Hydri was under strict quarantine because it harbored an intelligent and dangerous alien race, the insectoid majat. Yet human colonies predating the quarantine did exist in this sector of space, which they called Serpent's Reach. Cut off from others of their own kind, they had their own inbred culture and special relationships with the alien majat.

Laramie had just been hit by the Clayton gang, leaving Sheriff Joe Tate without any deputies to serve the entire county. But, as bad as the gunfight had been, the visitor to his office to file a complaint for something that wasn’t even a crime turned out to be much more significant and life-changing.

Private Investigator Cassie Dewell’s business is thriving, and her latest case puts her on the hunt for a slippery con man who’s disappeared somewhere in the “treasure state”. A wealthy Florida widow has accused him of absconding with her fortune, and wants Cassie to find him and get it back. The trail takes Cassie to Anaconda, Montana, a quirky former copper mining town that’s the perfect place to reinvent yourself. As the case develops, Cassie begins to wonder if her client is telling her everything.

Magiere the dhampir and her partner, the half-elf Leesil, are on a journey to uncover the secrets of their mysterious pasts. But first their expertise as vampire hunters is required on behalf of a small village being tormented by a creature of unlimited and unimaginable power.

There was a star Gate in Azeroth marked by alien fires that Morgaine must seal. But Morgaine and Vanye have brought devastation to the peaceful land. For the hordes of Shiuan were on their heels, determined to conquer a new land for themselves and to avenge their lost planet.

The five members of an elite commando group nicknamed “the Stone Wolves” once raged against Creterakian rule. Now, four decades after their heyday, they each try to stay alive and eke out a living. But a friend from the past won’t let them move on, and neither will their bitterest enemy. Hopscotch, RedWire, the Killer, Lulz and Recoil will soon wish their pasts could stay dead.

When a young robber arrives at an old southern bank where sweet Anne-Marie Hollister works as a teller, she assumes that money is the only thing he’s interested in. After all, when he discovers that the safe is locked and that only the bank president, who’s out playing golf, has the combination, the furious man decides to take everything in the drawer and rob all the customers instead. It’s better than nothing!